no overseas distribution centre: does Scott feels safe now Grayskull is a 'GO'?

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no overseas distribution centre: does Scott feels safe now Grayskull is a 'GO'?

I remember when Scott was begging us to sign in on the 2013 subscription and later the Castle Grayskull order, he was open to 'explore possibilities ' for an overseas distribution centre, so international fans like myself don't have to keep paying as much shipment AND taxes as we have been doing for the past 4 years. Now we get the message: "taxes are just part of the hobby" Nice one, Scott,... This is the worst reply I have ever read on this issue.
If I could cancel my sub, I'd do it right away.

Ealo Krill asks: A lot of european MOTU fans took the plunge and ordered a Castle Grayskull despite shipping and subsequent customs charges being so high. Is there any chance an EU distribution center may be up by the time CG ships?

Matty:No, we do not have plans for a EU distribution center. This is a very similar situation to when American fans want Japanese toys. Import fees are just part of the hobby. We wish we could make every item work for every customer and every buying habit but that just isn't always possible.

That's why I never ordered Castle Grayskull. It's so expensive to the UK as it is let alone with customs on top. I knew is was BS when Scott said it might happen just to try and get more international fans to sub and buy a castle.

Honestly, this should not be a surprise for anyone. Have you heard anything about how well the Castle is selling recently or anything more about the extra stuff they might get in above what was shown? Nope! I have asked on Matty with no answer for an update.

The question assumes that Matty hasn't looked into it. It seems that they have. They've always been open to doing new things (except 200x heads). They've looked into it, determined that there are not enough international customers to warrant it, and that's it. We can argue that such might be shortsighted, as they might get more international customers if an international shipping center could make things cheaper for our European friends.

And I know we could say that they should just choose a fan in Germany and let him be a distribution center from his garage, but I'm sure the lawyers and accountants won't go for that. And like it or not, the lawyers and accountants run Mattel. It's that way at most businesses.

"Mattel's policy of things being seen as a failure if they don't sell out in minutes still annoys the hell out of me." — .org Member paulioscorchio

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We know that sales have been down the last 2 years for MOTUC. It is the flagship line for MattyCollector.com and they seem to be offering fewer products each year. If it wasn't feasible a few years ago, it definitely isn't feasible now. There would have to be a huge upswing in international and overall sales before they would seriously consider this I would think.

you guys expected anything else. seriously they have done this everytime. claim the line needs saving the fans matter and then say sorry now we're sorted unless you're local then to hell with you

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Yes, I would have ordered Castle Grayskull too, but the prohibitive import costs put me off. There is no way I would buy it from a non-EU distribution centre... the issue as ever is that it was extremely insulting for Scott to heavily imply Mattel would get a European distribution centre only to then utterly disregard this when the requisite number of subscribers signed up. I note he didn't baldly state "taxes are part of the hobby" when the subscription was up for renewal! If he had been upfront from the start I would have more a of a "fair enough" attitude but I instead find this a quite duplicitous business practice.

Yes, I would have ordered Castle Grayskull too, but the prohibitive import costs put me off. There is no way I would buy it from a non-EU distribution centre... the issue as ever is that it was extremely insulting for Scott to heavily imply Mattel would get a European distribution centre only to then utterly disregard this when the requisite number of subscribers signed up. I note he didn't baldly state "taxes are part of the hobby" when the subscription was up for renewal! If he had been upfront from the start I would have more a of a "fair enough" attitude but I instead find this a quite duplicitous business practice.

I wouldn't say he 'heavily' implied it. He just said it was a possibility. Nothing set in stone.

"Skeletor to King Randor, Skeletor to King Randor, come in you Royal Boob!"

I wouldn't say he 'heavily' implied it. He just said it was a possibility. Nothing set in stone.

Fair enough, I just think it was a remarkable coincidence that he "looked into it" around the time of subscription renewals. Sinister marketing or just temporarily serendipitous yet subsequently unfortunate timing?

This is tough news, I bet though because of the decline in sub sales there was a large decline overseas as well. You guys buying more could keep this line going to the next decade, I hope Mattel looks at this again, and soon.

Fair enough, I just think it was a remarkable coincidence that he "looked into it" around the time of subscription renewals. Sinister marketing or just temporarily serendipitous yet subsequently unfortunate timing?

Well, it might have just been that it was a huge pain point for International Customers as far as why they weren't subscribing, which is why it came up then. I don't think there's anything sinister about that. I don't seriously think he just floated that out there to try to hook people in. I'm sure they have tried multiple times to make the case for it. They probably just can't get the numbers to work, which is a real shame not just for EU fans but for all of us because if they could make it work I'm sure there are untapped fans out there who just can't spend the money to order the way it is. Which means lost sales and lost potential for MOTUC to be even more popular.